First off, focus on showing off the following two elements in your video

Movement - so your customers can see how the fabric moves

Light - so your clients can see how light hits the product and how the product reacts to light

Prepare and be aware

Style your product with something neutral

Pick an outfit that will go together with but will not overshadow the T-shirt

Make sure the product fits correctly. Given that this is video, it’s not advisable to use clips, tapes and pins because the slightest of movements will reveal that

We cover the following stages

The Right Lighting

Preparation & Recording

Key Video Shots

Post Production

1. The Right Lighting

The right lighting is all about balance. Focus on light that will complement your garments and will bring out texture, color and material to the forefront.

Create even light

An overall even light for your set is great for e-commerce pictures. It will brighten up the space and will bring out the best qualities of your product in the photograph.

Check for movement

While you’re fine-tuning your light, check the movement of your model. That way you can make sure you won’t end up with any big harsh shadows that will be flying all over the place during your video.

Match your stills

If you’re shooting stills in the same day or at the same time, make sure that your lighting setup is also the same because consistency is essential for an appealing catalogue. You can find more tips on styling and photographing T-shirts for e-commerce here.

This lighting setup is perfect for e-commerce shots.

2. Preparation & Recording

When shooting a video, preparation is essential for efficiently producing optimal results.

Pre-program camera movements

Programming some camera movements in advance will not only save you a ton of time but it will also help you get the right variety of shots for your video. Showcasing your product and its best features suddenly becomes much easier.

Aim for variety

Try shooting from different angles and moving the camera accordingly. This will highlight the product better and it will add more visual interest.

Variety shots from different angles will showcase your product better.

3. Key Video Shots

We have some suggestions for you when it comes to the shots you can take. We’ve chosen these ones because they will evenly showcase different angles and sides of your product.

Something you should do at all times is navigate and instruct your model before each shot about the length and focus of the clip you're about to take.

This gives them an idea about how much of the right movement they can fit into that time frame in order to showcase your product in the best possible way.

The Introduction Shot

This scenario will require your model to walk in on set and then display the product from an angle of your choice. This is a simple clip but it shows your customer the right elements.

When your model walks into the frame, you should lock the focus immediately so when she or he hits their marks, you get that perfect focus right where you need it.

The Detailed Shot

The next stage of your video can be focused on showing off more details of the product you’re featuring.

That’s why you can use the camera to position it upwards while the model turns so they can show off details of the shirt that are not easy to spot at first glance.

Your model can do a half turn in order to show the details of the shirt on the back. Again, instruct your model carefully beforehand.

The Exit Shot

At this point, you should already have some really detailed and nice shots of the front and the back of the t-shirt that would be a great addition to your online catalogue. Now it's time to wrap everything together by shooting the final touch.

Instruct your model to turn around one last time and then to walk off the set.

A combination of these 3 shots can be an excellent way to showcase a basic T-shirt.

4. Post Production

The post production process will require you to sort through the video material you've compiled and decide which shots you would like to put together in a consistent flow form. Then all that is left to do is to put these parts together, edit your video and put it on your website or use it as your digital signage for your brick-and-mortar stores.

However, if you happen to be using a StyleShoots Live machine, you don’t have to do much after you’ve taken the video shots you wanted - the machine will automatically edit and merge the different clips into one consistent video for you. Afterwards, you’ll get a little preview of that file and if you're happy with it, you can directly upload the file to your website, social media or use it as digital signange.

Creating such a simple, yet powerful e-commerce video will help you sell your product.

Putting all of these tips together will hopefully give you all the tools necessary to produce great looking videos for your e-commerce website.

A final note...

Thank you for reading our tutorial - hope you found it useful! This article is part of our ongoing series of tutorials on product photography, styling and lighting. If you found it helpful, why don’t you head on over to our YouTube channel and subscribe?

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